VA-care legislation clears Senate 93-3

FBI to investigate agency’s practices

By DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Posted: June 12, 2014 at 5:38 a.m.

MARK HENLE
Credit: AP/The Arizona Republic
Vietnam veteran Gene Stoesser, right, talks with Veterans Crisis Command Center volunteer Chuck Lewis, left, while he waits for an appointment Tuesday, June 10, 2014, at American Legion Post 1 in Phoenix. Stoesser was told on May 2, 2014, that he needs heart surgery. The American Legion has set up a crisis center in Phoenix to help veterans get medical care in a first-of-its-kind event in the American Legion's nearly 100-year history.

The Senate acted Wednesday to help thousands of military veterans enduring long wait times for VA medical care, as the FBI revealed it has opened a criminal investigation into a Veterans Affairs Department reeling from allegations of falsified records and inappropriate scheduling practices.